Vending device



Nov. 20, 1934. A. KUHN Er AL VENDING DEVICE Filed July 26. 1930 PatentedNov. 20, 1934 i 1,981,272 vENDlNG DEVICE Anthony Kuhn, New York, N. Y.,and charles n. Beltman, Bergen County, N.. J.; said Heitman assignor toAndrew D. Reid, Weehawken, N. J.

vApplication July 26, 1930, Serial No. 470,826

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in vending devices, beingparticularly directed to a vending mechanism applied in conjunction witha refrigerating device in a display casing, where-A '5 by bottled goodsmay be disposed for sale in a manner so as to be easily removable fromsaid display casing, in sequential or progressive order,

without exposing the surfaces of the bottles to f any undue shock, tocause breakage of the same 1n in their passage through the vendingmechanism.

Broadly, it is an object of this invention to provide for a vendingmechanism, in conjunction with a refrigerating unit, whereby bottledgoods may be caused to be progressively actuated and displaced fromposition in a storage receptacle in a display casing, while under theeffect of the cooling medium controlled by the refrigerating mechanism,the bottled goods being caused to be displaced in an angular and.tortuous path, and

in a manner so that the bottles reverse their direction of rotationafter each and every angularly downward displacement and directionalmovement, for each ofthe several angular pasg5 sages disposed in thestorage receptacle.

Still further, to provide for a novel vending mechanism, in associationwith a refrigerating device, wherein the cooled bottled goods are causedto rest against and move along stamped curved guide members defined soas to form a zig-zag tortuous passage, the said guide means being in theform of inA verted V-shaped stampings, opposite stampings being disposedso as to provide a space slightly larger than the diameter of a bottle,and the apexy or ledge of the respective opposite guide means beingdisposed directly opposite to the flat portion of the opposite guidemeans. f

Still further, it is aimed to provide a novel discharging mechanism' forrefrigerated bottled goods, which have passed through a tortuous path intheir progressive movement through the Storage receptacle, whichdischarging mechanism comprises a shell 'formed of vsubstantially onecylinder within.another, and having a cutout portion adapted toreceiveone and only one bottle, which said discharging mechanism isrotatable upon the actuation of a control against spring tension todischarge the captured bottle into the discharge opening, but at thesame time, which is so disposed as to prevent the escape of cold airfrom the vending chamber as thev discharging mechanism is rotated frompont to point, and the downward movement of any bot- 5,5 tle in thestorage receptacle, unless and until thel it is an object of thisinvention shell is empty, and disposed in a position to capture anotherbottle.

Other objects fandadvantages, capabilities, and features of theinvention will appear from the subjoined detailed description of onespecific `em- 50 bodiment of the invention as illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front view, partly thecompletely assembled device.

Figure 2 is a plan view partly cut out of the g5 device.

Figure 3 is a side elevation in section along lines 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a plan view in section along lines i- 4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a front view in sectin along lines 5-5 of Figure 3.

Referring to the reference characters in the drawing, numeral 10represents a casing formed of stamped metal, and adapted to enclose Vthevending chamber 11, or the distributingchamber 12, the freezing chamber13, and the cooling chamber 14. The casing 10 has walls 15, carrying'theusual form of insulation applied in refrigerators. A

Since the wall structure, the brine or cooling chamber, and theelectrical 'freezing unit are of the type normally used in electricalrefrigerators, no descriptionwill be made of the same, nor will anydetailed drawing of the same be shown herein, except insofar a's theirlocation in relation to the elements forming the subject-matter of thisinvention.

Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 2, the vending chamber-11comprises a series of sectionsv 16, separated from one another and fromthe brine chamber respectively bymetallic conducting walls 1'7 and 1'7',and extending from the top 'of the casing to the `discharge chamber 12,there being; provided a closure element 18- for the top of therespective sections, and a discharging mechanism 19, which will be laterdescribed, such mechanism being adapted to serve as a closure for thelowermost portion of the respective sections in conjunction with itsoperative functions.

Within each section 16, there is fastened to the respective walls v17thereof, as by welding, riveting, or otherwise, a series of V-notchedsections 20, so arranged along the respective walls as to form areas ofdepression 2l, and areas. of projection as ledges or ribs 22. As isclearlyshown in Figure 1, the series of V-notched elements on; therespective walls 17 of the sections 16 are so disposed that the ledges22 and the depressions 2l on one wall are oppositely disposedrespectively 11a in section, of

Vao

, 5. In a storage andvending method, methodchamber having its oppositesides respectively formed with staggered series of guide projectionshaving upper guide faces respectively; each provided at its dischargeedge, with a projection adapted to engage abottle to give it an upwardmovementand project it to the adjacent guide face on the opposite sideof the chamber.

4. In combination, means forming an upright passage chamber for bottlesand the like, said chamber having its opposite sides respectively formedwith staggered series of'guide projections having upper guide facesrespectively; the upper guide face of each projection being concaved andprovided, at its discharge edge, with an upwardly and' outwardlyinclined projection adapted to engage, a bottle rolling down said face,to give it an upward movement as it projects to the adjacent upper guideface on the opposite side of the chamber, thereby to retard the fall ofthe bottle by said upward movements.

steps which comprise initially dropping one-byone a plurality of axiallyhorizontal bottles into an upright space; stoppingv the first bottle at.a lower part of said space, whereby each subsequent on the side of thepreceding bottle;y causing each bottle is brought to rest on its side bystriking bottle to move slightly upwardly at frequentv points all alongsaid space,'thereby limiting the downward velocity and acceleration ofthe bottles Ato low maxima near the upper part of the space, said maximabeing sufiiciently low to prevent'breakage from said striking; saidpoints being sutllciently close together to maintain the downwardvelocity and 'acceleration as low as said maxima. throughout.'l thewhole of saidwspace and fall, whereby breakage is prevented no matterhow far the bottles may travel in the space;

. v ANTHONY KUHN.

CHAS. HEITMAN.

Yno

